Suriname stabbing: Suspect dies by suicide in custody; had killed 9 people including children

A man suspected of fatally stabbing nine people, including five children, in Suriname’s capital died by suicide in police custody, authorities said on Monday. Identified only by the initials D A, the 43-year-old was found hanged in a cell at a police station, according to a police statement, as cited by AFP.The attack, carried out outside Suriname’s capital Paramaribo, left at least nine people dead, including the suspect’s children, police said on Sunday.It occurred in Richelieu in the Commewijne district, about 25 km east of the capital. Neighbours said the violence followed a phone argument between the suspect and his estranged wife, after which he allegedly attacked his children with a knife and then went after neighbours inside their homes, as cited by AP.In a statement on Sunday, Suriname’s Police Corps said the suspect attempted to attack officers who responded to the scene and was injured during his arrest. Police said a sixth child and another adult were seriously wounded and are receiving treatment at a hospital in Paramaribo.The killings have sent shockwaves across the country, prompting widespread grief and disbelief among political leaders and residents.Reacting to the incident, Surinamese President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons said in a Facebook post that the attacker had taken the lives of his children and neighbours. “I wish all the bereaved much strength, resilience, and comfort in this unimaginably difficult time,” Geerlings-Simons said.Suriname, a former Dutch colony and the smallest independent country in South America, has a population of around 600,000 and has long been among the region’s lowest in murder rates. That trend shifted in 2024, when the rate rose to 30 homicides per 100,000 people, according to data from the think tank InSight Crime.